Hero
by NightRider9
Summary: Connor is finally deemed stable enough to attend high school with the rest of the Zenith Team, but he soon finds out that high school isn't what it used to be. Rated T for later chapters. Story better than summary! Connor/OC


Title: Hero

Chapter Title: A New Day

Author: Nightrider9

Summary: Connor is finally deemed stable enough to attend high school with the rest of the Zenith Team, but he soon finds out that high school isn't what it used to be. Story better than summary! Rated T for later chapters. Connor/OC

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The red alarm clock on the table beside the bed seemed stuck on 6:29. One minute before he would have to get up and get dressed. Then he would have to double-check his bag to insure that he had all the things he would need before throwing it over his shoulder and walking down the maze of corridors until he reached the doors to the mess hall.

Today would have been like any other day, except for the fact that Connor Shepard would be starting high school halfway through the year, a little under an hour and a half from the very moment the clock turned to 6:30.

But, until that one moment passed, Connor was content to lie in his bed and stare at the ceiling, thoughts bouncing around in his head. He had been up most of the night, wondering if school was still anything like what it was the couple of years he had attended. He glanced over at the glowing red numbers, which still read 6:29. 'Hmm, maybe it's frozen-'his thought was interrupted by a loud blaring _BEEP!_

Reaching one hand over to hit the off button, he sighed. It was time to get up and begin his new morning routine. The shirt he had picked out the night before was a simple red one with a black stripe across the front. He slid it on over his muscular torso, and spent an entire five minutes trying to decide if he wanted to tuck it into his blue jeans. He finally decided to leave it untucked, like Dylan did every day. He combed his messy hair into a decent looking brown mass and grabbed his bag before heading out the door of his room. He entered the bright hallway and blinked, but did not stop in time to miss bumping into Dylan.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Dylan quipped as he rubbed his shoulder. "You ready for school today?"

Connor shook his head and looked at his feet. "Not really. I mean, it's been decades since I've attended school of any sort."

Dylan nodded. "Well, you can't go to school on an empty stomach. Let's go get some breakfast." With that, Dylan took off down the hall.

Connor hoisted his backpack higher and slowly began to follow the other boy.

When Connor arrived at the mess hall, the rest of the team –minus Jack, who always slept in- was sitting at the usual table eating a breakfast of various cereals. The teen sat down in his spot next to Cindy, who promptly began chattering away to him about how excited he must be to get to go back to school. Connor tuned her out and silently dipped his spoon into his cereal. Finally Summer glanced at Cindy and started her on some other topic, one that didn't involve the words Connor and school in the same sentence.

Breakfast went quickly-too quickly in Connor's opinion. One of the lab aides entered the cafeteria to inform the group that the van was leaving in five minutes, sending his heart aflutter with terror. In an attempt to avoid the sick feeling in his stomach, he stood up and went to put his bowl away. Soft footsteps came up behind him, and suddenly a soft hand was touching his shoulder.

"Connor?" Summer asked gently. "High school isn't as bad as you think it is."

She set her bowl on the tray and turned back to her boyfriend, leaving Connor alone with his thoughts. The aide returned and began to usher the team out the door to the waiting government-issue van. Dylan and Summer sat in the front, discussing some of the weekend's homework. Cindy sat behind them, pulling a brush out of her backpack and smoothing down some fresh hair frizz. Tucker reclined on the third bench, leaving the very back to Connor. Before the doors closed, a familiar head popped inside.

"Good luck, little bro," Jack smiled at his own joke before disappearing again. Connor sunk down in his seat. Did everyone have to remind him about school?

The ipod Jack had gotten him for his birthday was a comforting sight to the teen as he slid it out of his bag and turned it on. Connor let the rhythm of his favorite song carry him far away from the van, from the thought of school, from the rest of the Zenith team. In the years of angry isolation he had suffered through, when he was not so focused on getting back, when his strength had temporarily failed him, he would let his mind wander like this. He closed his eyes and let the familiar music surround him; block the rest of the world from his mind.

And then the van stopped. His music had made him lose track of time, and now the dread moment had arrived sooner than expected. The Dylan and Summer filed out, and after a moment's hesitation, Connor followed.

The building in front of him was huge, which only added to his increasing nervousness. He didn't even notice that Summer and Dylan had parted ways, Summer heading to her homeroom and Dylan heading back to help Connor. "See?" he said, jolting Connor out of his thoughts. "It's not that bad!"

Smiling, Dylan led his friend inside the building. Connor kept his head down, pretending not to notice the looks kids gave him as he passed. Finally he glanced up. The office was bright and cheery, painted in hues of yellow. A pleasant looking woman stood behind a large counter. She looked up when the two boys appeared. "Oh, good morning Mr. West," she said. "How can I help you this morning?"

Dylan made a motion toward Connor. "This is my friend Connor, Mrs. Maynard. He's new here, and he needs his new schedule."

"Of course. Last name?" she smiled as she began to type on a computer.

"Shepard," Dylan replied while Connor was still trying to get his tongue.

The woman continued to type on the computer while Connor began to look around the office. The walls were painted a light yellow, and were covered with posters proclaiming different clubs, programs, and after-school activities. He glanced at one of the ones closest to him reading DRAMA CLUB: Meets every Tuesday after school at 4:00!

"Here you go, Mr. Shepard," the woman handed him a sheet of paper. "Welcome to Miller High!"

Connor took the paper and Dylan began to push him back out into the hall. They had just barely gotten out the door when a girl came rushing around the corner and slammed right into Connor. Her books clattered to the floor and paper floated down around the trio. "OhmygoshIamsosorryareyouokay ?!" she exclaimed as a flush crept over her cheeks. "I didn't even see you there! I am so sorry!"

Connor laughed at her red face, surprising even himself. "I'm fine. Here let me help you." He knelt down and began to pick up her books.

The girl knelt down to, scrambling to help Connor pick up the fallen objects. The floor was nearly clear when a loud ringing echoed through the now-empty hallways. Connor looked back to where Dylan had been standing, only to find the other boy already gone. He sighed and turned back to hand the girl her books. "Thanks," she said as she took them. "Look, I am really, really sorry."

"It's okay," Connor replied. "Although now I don't have anyone to show me around."

"Oh, so you are new here! I thought I hadn't ever seen you around. My name is Dahlia, but all my friends call me Lia," the girl smiled. "I have office assistant first period; I'm sure Mrs. Maynard would let me show you around."

Connor followed her back to the office. The secretary looked up as they entered. "Oh, Lia, you're late."

The girl nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Maynard, I know. I just had a little run in with Mister-" She shot a look back at him. "You know, I never got your name. Anyway, he said he was new and I was wondering if I could show him around and get him familiarized with the Miller!"

The secretary looked between Connor and Lia for what seemed like forever before consenting. "Thanks Mariah!" Lia called as she half dragged Connor out of the office.

The two began walking down the hall, Lia pointing at every room they passed and naming it. "This one here is Mr. Reyes' classroom, he's a junior math teacher, so you'll probably have him no matter what math you take," she pointed at a door covered in math related posters that looked to Connor as though they belonged to 1962.

After about half an hour, Lia stopped in front of a set of double doors. "And finally, this is the auditorium, where Drama club meets."

She dramatically threw open the doors to reveal rows of cushioned seats sloping down to an orchestra pit housing an organ and various props. A black baby grand piano sat in the middle of the stage, waiting for someone to play. Connor was impressed at just how professional the place looked as he stepped inside.

"This is awesome," he turned back to where his guide stood waiting. "Kinda makes me want to come to Drama club now."

She laughed, "Okay, I'll expect to see you here tomorrow afternoon! Now, what is your first period?"

Connor pulled out his schedule and handed it over. Lia looked it over for a moment and smiled. "You and I have the same fourth period, which means we'll have the same lunch! And now I need to get you to Mrs. Kilby's class."

Connor took back his schedule and reluctantly followed his tour guide back through the mostly empty hallways to the Science pod. He quietly opened the door Lia pointed to and slipped in. The room was dark, and the light let in by the door caused the entire class to turn toward the boy. The woman standing at the front of the class crossed over to where he nervously stood.

"You must be Connor. My name is Mrs. Kilby, and welcome to Honors Physics," she said taking the paper Connor handed to her. "I believe there is a seat next to Allison. We'll take care of your textbooks later."

She gestured to a seat in the row farthest away from the door, and he made his way over to it. He sat down and tried to stealthily look around. There were only about twelve other people in the room, not counting the teacher and himself. Connor sat there for a moment, trying to figure out whether he should begin to take the notes on the board, when something slipped onto his desk.

He glanced down at the papers. All three of them were covered in small elegant handwriting. All three were filled with physics notes, complete with diagrams. The name at the top read _Allison Lee_. Again, he shot another look around the room, letting his eyes finally resting on the darkened figure sitting next to him.

The rest of class dragged along, at least to Connor it did. Finally the teacher walked to the wall near the door and flicked on the fluorescent lights overhead. The class was left blinking in the sudden brightness for a moment before starting to pack up their things in preparation for the class change.

The girl next to Connor stood up and threw a tan messenger bag over her shoulder and gathered up her books. When the bell rang, Connor stood up as the rest of the students quickly filed out the door. The girl hadn't left yet, he noticed; she was talking to the teacher. He quietly approached where the two were standing, notes in hand.

When she turned to leave, the girl very nearly bumped into Connor. "Oh, sorry," she said, not realizing who he was.

"Um, here're your notes," he said, not trying to make eye contact.

"Oh, thanks! Were they any help?" she asked as she took them from him.

He chanced a glance at her, and found her smiling. "My name's Allison, but you probably already figured that out from these, huh?"

"Yeah, I took a guess. Thanks for letting me borrow them," Connor replied.

Allison watched him for a minute, then turned to Mrs. Kilby. "Can, um, Connor and I get a note for next period?"

The woman nodded and instantly began to write out a note on a Post-It Note.

"How do you know my name?" Connor asked carefully.

"Oh, well, word gets around in high school," she replied as she led him out the door. "Next class?"

Connor once again pulled out his schedule. "Faukner for Pre-Calculus."

"Great! That's where I'm off to too," she said without looking at him. "Can I see your schedule?"

He handed it over. "Well, somehow you have managed to get every single class with me. How did that happen?" she laughed slightly.

Connor watched her as they continued down the hallway. Perhaps this whole high school thing wouldn't be as bad as he had first imagined it.

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_Author's Note: Hi! This is my first story on Fanfiction, and this is also my first Zoom fic. I hope the first chapter is pretty good, because it took me a pretty long time to put together! Reviews are very greatly appreciated, as are follows and favorites. Feel free to message me with suggestions, helpful hints, things you like, things you don't like, etc. Thanks!_

_~NightRider9_


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